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What does it mean to be a successful eLearning developer?
As learning becomes a bigger part of our personal and professional lives, a career as an eLearning developer is becoming increasingly popular. These experienced professionals are needed to create effective learning experiences that are not only engaging, but also keep pace with technological advancements. But how can you become an eLearning professional? What are the possible paths you could take, and what are your responsibilities? Many professionals believe that all you need to become successful in this field is technical knowledge. However, this is far from the truth, as you also need to be able to understand your learners, their needs and preferred learning methods. Read on to discover more about the professional life of an eLearning developer and how you can achieve success.
Types of e-learning developers
Developer
Regular developers are usually highly trained experts in eLearning software. They use available tools to create basic or custom modules. They are also responsible for adding a variety of materials within courses, such as storyboards, text, video clips, audio, scripts, and other multimedia elements. They must also understand the learner’s needs and which elements best serve the learning objectives. Therefore, they create corresponding materials using appropriate web development tools. They are responsible for updating modules and making uploads to an organization or company’s Learning Management System (LMS).
Creative developer
These professionals do everything a regular developer does while also designing most of the creative elements. Many have degrees in fine arts and graphic design as well as multimedia development abilities. Therefore, they can develop the look of the entire course and organize graphic content, such as banners, animations and icons, using not only programming but also design software. They make the course really engaging by adding games and other interactive elements that make it easy for the learner to navigate.
Full cycle developer
These professionals work closely with subject matter experts (SMEs) to build e-learning modules and templates from scratch according to the learner’s needs. They decide the outcome, organize the learning plan, and write texts and storyboards. After this stage, the full cycle developer starts creating modules and working on all technical aspects. They may have some graphic design experience or collaborate with an expert to create multimedia and interactive elements. It is better for them to be skilled in graphic design and corresponding software so that they can fully design the course.
The main responsibilities you have when you become an eLearning developer
Design and development of online courses
Storyboarding is the first major responsibility of an eLearning developer. It is a detailed outline of the information, procedures and multimedia that will be included in the course. The first step is to create a scenario that informs learners of their goal and how they can proceed from one step to the next. The storyboard should also mention any additional actions learners can take, such as additional links or hints to help them move forward. However, learners may need additional help along the way. That’s why developers should provide help or guidance that participants can call upon when they encounter difficulties. Finally, it is essential to show people how their choices translate into real life. Incorporating realistic branching scenarios can show learners the consequences of their actions in a risk-free way.
Create user experience (UX)
Another major responsibility that eLearning developers have is to curate a frictionless and flawless user experience. To achieve this, professionals must obtain feedback from learners and adjust the course design based on their needs and preferences. A user-centered experience means that developers must add interactive elements, such as multimedia, in addition to intuitive navigation. Consistency is another important part because it helps participants become familiar with the different elements of the course and know what to expect when they complete the sequence. As a result, developers must maintain the same colors, fonts, layouts, animation features, and navigation capabilities. In addition, they should keep the design and information clear and simple. The course should be clutter-free and focused on substance. Finally, some participants may need accessibility features to understand the content. Therefore, compatibility with a variety of assistive technologies must be ensured.
Create multimedia content
Reading pages upon pages of written material can be exhausting and unproductive because retaining information in this way is difficult. This is why e-learning developers must add a touch of imagination and innovation to training courses. Multimedia can contain video, audio, animation, images, games, and even simulations. All of these elements convey knowledge in an accurate and engaging way that significantly improves knowledge retention rates. Using simulations, specifically, learners are immersed in life-like scenarios where they must tackle problems and explore the consequences of their decisions. Multimedia elements can be used in courses of all types, including asynchronous, blended, instructor-led, and self-paced courses. Some of the most engaging examples of using multimedia in e-learning are animated tutorials, interactive games, online presentations, and podcasts.
Coordination of technical aspects
With an increasing number of technical tools in their arsenal, eLearning developers are more equipped than ever to take on the development of the technical aspects of a course. In fact, they don’t even need to be programming experts, although familiarity with basic HTML and JavaScript is recommended. This way, they can create websites, embed codes, and customize materials based on learning needs. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of eLearning developers to regularly monitor metrics such as completion rate, error rate, time on task, learner satisfaction rate, feedback, etc. Finally, developers often perform quality assurance (QA) to check accuracy, editing, and instructional design. Navigation and accessibility of the course.
Design evaluations and evaluations
Creating assessments is a great way to show participants’ progress and emphasize their strengths and weaknesses. They come in different forms, including tests, quizzes, and assignments. If the course is divided into separate modules, each may have its own assessment to check the learner’s knowledge of the learning points. Alternatively, developers can add a comprehensive quiz at the end of the course. Self-assessment activities can also be utilized, where learners answer questions to measure their level of knowledge acquisition regarding a particular topic. In general, evaluations in all their forms help eLearning developers evaluate the effectiveness of a course and identify areas that need improvement or errors that need to be corrected.
Conclusion
In short, it is easy to see that the responsibilities of an eLearning developer may vary depending on the specific career path you follow. However, the main goal that you should have in mind if you are determined to become an eLearning developer is that every step should be taken keeping the user experience in mind. Transforming boring texts into engaging, interactive elements makes people retain information and achieve their learning goals.
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